Patana News Volume 25 Issue 24

PATANA NEWS

Friday 10th March 2023

Round Table Thinking

By Mark Verde

Also in this issue...

New ECA: Rubiks Step Up and Stand Out!

IB Visual Arts Exhibition

(I)GCSE and IB D+T Exhibition

The Next Generation of Nature Lovers

Year 12 Thomas House Project

Patana Pathways

Primary Music Parent Workshop

Student Environmental Committee FUN DAY! See You Tomorrow!

www.patana.ac.th

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Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS

Round Table Thinking

Mark Verde, Primary Assistant Principal, Learning and Curriculum

Justas King Arthur in the mid 12th Century sat with his legendary Knights at his round table, strategising and problem solving, Bangkok Patana School sat with their legendary Knight - Dr Jim Knight - in the final week before February half-term, around a variety of tables, with over 30 delegates from across Asia and beyond, to learn about Instructional Coaching (IC).

To do this, coaches collaborate with teachers to get a clear picture of current reality, identify goals, pick teaching strategies to meet the goals, monitor progress, and problem solve until the goals are met. To put it simply… Instructional coaching makes it easier for teachers to meet the needs of their students.

The coaching approach is “dialogical” where the instructional coach is not the expert in the partnership, but will bring expertise to enable teachers to identify a powerful, easy, emotionally connected, reachable, student focused goal, known simply as a PEERS goal.

Leaders from International schools in China, the Middle East, Africa, SE Asia and several Bangkok International schools, including three participants from Bangkok Patana, spent a week practising, discussing and learning about Jim’s Intensive Instructional Coaching programme. The course was organised by Chapters International who approached Bangkok Patana and asked if we would host the event facilitated by Jim Knight, in our wonderful conference suites. This offer was too good to be true as it linked closely to the learning goals of the whole school; to use research-based strategies to grow the potential of all students, and the offer was quickly accepted by Cindy Adair.

Jim has been researching and developing Instructional Coaching (IC) for over 20 years. He has written several books on the topic and worked with experts such as Michael Fullen, Michael Bungay Stanier and Atul Gawande. Jim also leads the Intensive Instructional Coaching Institutes and the Teaching Learning Coaching annual conference and has presented and consulted in more than 40 states and around the world. He has won several university teaching, innovation, and service awards and has partnered with many schools and teachers across North America, the world and with us, at Bangkok Patana School. During the conference, Jim explained the goal of this practice is to give all children the opportunity to succeed in reaching their maximum potential in behavioural, cognitive and emotional engagement, as well as academic achievement.

He has researched and evidenced IC in great detail and refined it down into a series of three simple stages that move through a dialogical coaching cycle called ‘the Impact cycle’. This is made up of: 1) Identify; 2) Learn; 3) Improve.

Instructional coaches partner with teachers to help them improve teaching and learning so students are more successful.

Over the course of the week, Jim showed all delegates how teachers, in partnership with a coach, can use IC as a practice to help children reach their maximum potential. Jim talked about the principles that he established before developing the impact cycle and why such building blocks are necessary to achieve success. This helped all delegates understand why and how IC impacts greatly on learning. Jim calls these principles “The Partnership Principles” of which there are seven; equality, choice, voice, reflection, dialogue, praxis, and reciprocity These provide a conceptual language that coaches can use to describe how they will strive to work together with teachers in an IC partnership. Once the principles are shared and agreed the conversation moves onto looking at student engagement and strategies to achieve this. This is where the coach brings expertise by sharing knowledge of strategies from a playbook such as Tom Sherrington’s Walkthrus

At Bangkok Patana, our team of coaches is built from our team of leaders, mainly the middle leaders, (M/L) who have received a variety of workshops and training events in partnership with Tom Sherrington, to give them the confidence and skills to become the excellent coaches they are today. Two vital skills in coaching are Listening and Questioning. Jim spent a day with the delegates focusing on these, complementing the training our M/Ls have received this year around developing “Better Conversations”. In this model, the coach listens for 80% of the time and questions for 20% of the time. This gives time for the teacher to think carefully about the learning that is needed for the children, talk it through with their coach and come to a

decision that they believe in and are committed to achieving. This is what is known as the Impact Cycle.

All our Primary teachers have an Instructional Coach and receive at least three coaching conversations, across the school year. Tom Sherrington’s Walkthrus books play a vital part in how the teachers achieve their student focused goal. It is a playbook filled with 5 key concepts, containing 8- 10 various strategies within each of the concept sections.

During the Identify stage of the coaching process, the coach and teacher consider the best strategies to use from the Walkthrus that will enable the teacher to achieve the goal. Once these are agreed, the coach and teacher set a timeline to learn and implement the practice. This is the Learn stage of the cycle. The final part in the conversation is the Improve stage where the coach and teacher look at the progress made and discuss next actions. This cycle will usually last a term and, as its name suggests, impacts on learning. Jim went into intricate detail on how we can refine this practice in our own school and build on the skills and structures we have developed over the past two years.

In 2020/21 the Primary School explored IC with the support and expertise of Tom Sherrington and his Walkthrus resources. This year, we are engaged more deeply in the practice, working closely with both Tom and Jim to improve and build on our IC foundations, so that by next year we will be evaluating and embedding a culture around IC across the school.

The work we have completed with Tom and Jim has been so important in our IC journey as it has made us really look closely at why, how and what learning looks like through the eyes of every teacher, in every classroom, across the Primary School. Now working hand in hand with both Tom and Jim, we are at a very exciting stage in our instructional coaching journey, where our ultimate goal is to achieve the best levels of success for all our children. We are very much looking forward to learning with and sharing the combined knowledge from Jim and Tom to really make a difference to learning at Patana. Jim Knight’s conference has opened up lots of conversations with schools across Bangkok and Asia, who are also beginning the IC journey. We are keen to adopt an outward thinking approach and hope to support and learn from and with each other to build a collaborative culture of IC in international school settings that positively impacts on learning for all students.

Jim left Bangkok Patana offering his thoughts about the week: “I am truly grateful for the opportunity to work with Patana, Shonal from Chapters International and our community of coaches. Everyone constructed a culture where there were lots of respectful interactions and sharing of ideas. People were willing to question things and at the same time encourage and support each other. I felt truly fortunate to be part of it and was really grateful for the chance to learn

with everyone. It’s always encouraging to see such dedicated educators come together and learn to do what is best for the students.”

The biggest takeaway for me was the confirmation that IC is powerful, energising and builds self-efficacy for the coach and teacher making it the right pathway for our students and teachers. Continuing to learn and collaborate with Jim, Tom and like-minded educationalists will enable us to provide the best learning opportunities for all our students.

Jim headed back to his home in North America to continue working on his latest IC book based around data. We remain in close contact as I am involved in his latest research project, “A day in the life of a coach.”

Cindy and I will look ahead to May when we will be welcoming Tom Sherrington to Bangkok Patana for a week of CPL.

Carly Peart, Luke Jones and I, will take time to sit at our round table and look at how we can best use IC to impact on learning for all our children at Bangkok Patana School.

International colleagues form schools around the world shared the following comments after the training:-

“If teachers feel their opinion isn’t heard, they believe their opinion is right!“ Elizabeth Begley Nunan - International School of Beijing.

“The week with Jim has changed my thinking in a deep way and caused me to re-examine the way I engage with people.” Tasha Cowdy - TKS Saudi Arabia.

“As a new Instructional Coach, I found Jim Knight’s conference extremely helpful to my practice. It grounded itself in overall beliefs necessary for effective coaching.” Tara Graves - International School of Beijing

“The power of the workshop was focusing on learning by having better conversations.” Nicola Holloway - Ascot.

“The most valuable part of the course for me was the conversations with international educators from around the world… and talking to others about how we can incorporate coaching into our collaborative work with teachers.” Lindsay Manzella - NIST

NEW ECA OFFERING: RUBIK’S CUBE

Have Rubik’s Cubes always stumped you? Interested in finding out the tips and tricks for solving these interesting puzzles? Be sure to sign up for this new ECA offering in Block D! Sign ups begin on 20th March.

Step up and Stand out

Mercy centre tutoring

Sirikorn (Jin) Dansiri, 12K; Nandini Mehrotra, 12K; Ananya Kaushik, 12R

MercyCentre Tutoring is a programme where Secondary students at Bangkok Patana volunteer to invest an hour each week teaching subjects like Maths, English and Science to a student at the Mercy Centre English House via a video call. Bangkok Patana also organises trips to the Mercy Centre about once a month, where we spend the day there and are able to meet the students we are tutoring and get to know them personally, which is something we always look forward to.

The aim of the Mercy Centre Tutoring programme is to provide English support to the students at the English House and give them the opportunity to practise their language skills because even though several of them have received scholarships to attend international schools, the main language they speak is Thai. Additionally, some of them are aiming to apply for scholarships to go to schools abroad so the tutoring program helps them prepare for their interviews. Bangkok Patana students also gain a lot as through engagement in this experience, they develop

skills in planning, collaboration and communication, and in turn this will develop their self-confidence.

It is so rewarding for us to see the progress that our tutees have made in just a short amount of time, and they all benefit from the tutoring sessions as well as it helps them keep up with their workload at school. All of us started participating at the start of this school year and we have learnt so many valuable skills so far that will be useful in our futures. We must find time to plan our lessons out and figure out how we will split up the hour-long session that we have, and we had to learn how to communicate clearly and be creative in order to overcome language barriers. This experience has also taught us to be adaptable as sometimes there are problems like the screen sharing feature not working, so we have to learn how to quickly come up with an alternative activity to do. Overall, it is such a great experience, and we would encourage anyone to take part!

YeaR 12 piRate peRfoRmance

Tisha Hannaford, 12E

Devising a pirate play for a younger audience initially didn’t appear an ideal arrangement, considering that the play was meant to be comical and there’s an underlying worry that we wouldn’t be able to achieve their sense of humour. But after rehearing the scenes multiple times, recording ourselves and reflecting, and getting many second opinions, we were able to pull it off in the end; and surprisingly, enjoy it much more than we thought. The children were very engaged and it felt like they wanted to be a part of the performance, as well as

enjoying it as an audience member. Some even said they wanted us to repeat the performance, which made us very pleased with our combined efforts. This opportunity has allowed me to engage with and consider the comedy genre more. We’re looking forward to devising more pieces in the future.

Read more about the Year 2 Pirate Day, including the Year 12 drama performance, on our blog, linked here!

This is a great opportunity to see the fantastic work produced by our students in Design + Technology. On display will be work from the IGCSE classes, both Resistant Materials and Graphics as well as examples of the Internal assessment work produced by the IB students.

Cultivating the Next Generation of Nature Lovers

Coke Smith, Secondary Curriculum Leader Environmental Science

Secondary Science made a special visit to Foundation Stage 2, providing our youngest learners an opportunity to discover all about birds, squirrels and flowers in their ‘local environment’. Joined by Khun Turbo, our Outdoor Education Technician, we demonstrated how to use actual field study equipment, such as binoculars and field guides, to observe the wonderful wildlife that exists right outside of their classroom!

Watching the children become so excited to spot wildlife for themselves, not to mention when they got a close-up view with the binoculars, was awesome! As kids are natural wildlife lovers, my philosophy is that if we can pique their interests often and early, they will incorporate this passion into their future daily lives.

This is just the beginning of what we hope to be a common event in the Foundation Stage programmes in an effort to help our students become lifelong learners about nature. I can’t wait to see them in my future Environmental Sciences classes in Secondary!

T E R M 2 L O S T P

Year 12 Thomas house PRojecT

During the last week of term, 39 Year 12 IB Geography students and their teachers travelled to Mae Kok River Village in Northern Thailand as part of the IB Geography field trip. The aim of the trip was to collect data to investigate the changing downstream characteristics of the Muang Nam river as part of the internal assessment component of the course. Returning to the classroom, students will then present and analyse the data collected, draw conclusions and evaluate their methods as part of their Geography internal assessment.

Mae Kok River Village Resort is located in a rural area of Bangkok and is surrounded by hill tribe villages. The Outdoor Education Centre does lots of work with the local community to help improve the lives of local villagers. During the weeks leading up to the field trip, our class organised a Geography bake sale to raise money for one of the centres community development projects; a local special needs school, called Thomas House. This educational venue is special because it provides an opportunity for children with special educational needs and disabilities to receive an education and learning resources in situations where can cannot be catered for in the local mainstream schools. Before the opening of Thomas House in 2017, these children often faced limitations or unequal access to education. To support these children and Thomas House, everyone in the class, including Ms Steciuk, our Geography teacher, baked some geography-related goods to raise over THB 4,000 for the children.

As part of the field trip, all students participated in a CAS day where we were able to explore some of the community development projects going on in the area. Some students visited a local village school to teach geography lessons and participate in a building project. A small group of seven students, including ourselves, were also fortunate enough to be able to go to Thomas House and interact with the children in order to see where the money we raised through the bake sale would be put to use. Together, we took part in circle activities, colouring, and other engaging games such as puzzles and building blocks with the children. In the afternoon, we collaboratively painted a mural on the school walls with the children. This was intimidating at first because most of us do not have prior experience painting on such a large scale. Neverthless, we worked together to produce beautiful decorations that made the children smile.

Overall, it was an unforgettable experience that helped us learn about the wider community in Thailand. We hope that these students will be able to continue down the path they would like to pursue and be able to have the same opportunities as other local children.

A special thanks to Rosie, who is in charge of Thomas House, for providing us the opportunity to make this happen.

Yiting (Freya) Yao, 12K and Nandini Mehrotra, 12K

Nicole received Early Decision for Northwestern University to study Manufacturing and Design Engineering.

At Bangkok Patana, Nicole focused her IB work on projects that emphasised “user-centered design”, which helped her to realise “the impact that [product] design can have on end-users”. This is echoed by Northwestern’s ethos of integrating design in the Engineering College.

Nond received Early Decision for the University of Pennsylvania to study Mechanical Engineering.

At Bangkok Patana, Nond’s proudest achievement was his Unplugged Robotics Project “because it made a tangible impact through the use of [his] skills and knowledge.” The IB Programme also developed his logical reasoning and interdisciplinary problem-solving – skills that he will further hone through his time at UPenn.

Click to read more about Nond’s Patana Pathway!

Click to read more about Nicole’s Patana Pathway!

Key Stage One Sports Day

Wednesday 15th March

Please ensure that your child comes to School in their PE kit complete with a hat, bottle of water and remember to apply plenty of sun cream for their exciting Sports Morning.

Year 1 Classes are participating from 7.45am to 9:15am

Year 2 Classes are participating from 10.05am to 11:30am

GYmnaSticS academY

Rebecca Maw-Dzatkowski, Cross Campus Head Gymnastics Coach

OnSaturday 4th and Sunday 5th March, the Bangkok Patana Gymnastics Academy travelled to NIST to compete at their annual Falcons Gymnastics Invitational. Of the eight attending schools, Bangkok Patana took 87 gymnasts, the largest team in Bangkok. There was a sea of Tiger orange in the gymnastics arena! The orange army also attended in full force, cheering “Go Tigers” from the stands!

The gymnasts have been training incredibly hard, and their efforts were rewarded this weekend, as all teams placed either 1st or 2nd over the weekend. A huge congratulations to all attending gymnasts - in addition to the excellent display of gymnastics skills, the gymnasts also demonstrated their professionalism, sportsmanship, and team spirit, proudly representing Bangkok Patana School.

ReScued GlaSS

You Wei (Terry) Lu, 12K

Initiallya service project for CAS, Rescued Glass has grown beyond school borders and is now a social enterprise present across the globe. Rescued Glass focuses on addressing glass-specific waste mitigation through the upcycling and recycling of glass bottles into multi-purpose home decor items. Glass disposal is an overlooked problem by general society, with over 28 billion glass bottles ending up in landfills every year, a figure worsened by the fact that glass can take up to 4,000 years to decompose.

we’re able to incorporate an element of sustainability into their business models as well.

Our business model revolves around the idea of positive social impact: through analysing every aspect of the business, Rescued Glass now operates with the sole idea of sustainability in mind, trying to benefit everyone who is involved in the process.

Rescued Glass addresses SDG Goals 10 (Reduced Inequalities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and 13 (Climate Change). By providing an alternative and more sustainable pathway for used glassware, Rescued Glass is an enterprise committed to making the world a better place. In addition to this, we also work with social enterprises in the local community, partnering with Second Chance Bangkok for packaging made from upcycling clothes. Second Chance serves as an organization seeking to combat the rise of fast fashion by employing women in underprivileged communities in Khlong Toei. We have also partnered with local restaurants and entertainment venues such as Cholos and Sing Sing for the collection of our glass bottles. By partnering with them,

Overall, Rescued Glass provides a distinct opportunity for students as it allows us to be involved in a business environment from a young age, fine-tuning our marketing, strategy or financial skills. Outside of niche business skills, Rescued Glass can also greatly benefit soft skills, as I have found out in my short time leading the club so far. It is this quality that makes Rescued Glass a great option for those who want to pursue studies related to business or those who want a truly unique activity in their CV. If you want to enquire further, feel free to contact yolu24@patana.ac.th

inteRnational Women’S daY 2023

Purnima Ghogar, Secondary English Teacher

Thispoem was written and performed in dedication to International Women’s Day 2023 on the theme of ‘Embrace Equity.’ Through these words, I hope to inspire collective activism to drive change - from grassroots action to wide-scale momentum, the poem reinforces that we can call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, challenge gender stereotypes and embrace true inclusion and belonging. The poem is also featured on the International Women’s Day organisation website, where you can learn more about the campaign theme: #EmbraceEquity. Check out the poem in its entirety here:

anoTheR chance, anoTheR YeaR

Svari (Teya) Tejacharoenanan, 8C and Ilda Erdal, 8C

Bangkok Patana’s One Green Goal is a 2023 campaign to promote awareness about saving the environment. It is a magnet pulling everyone inside and outside of the community to share at least one idea to support the One Green Goal.

During the Waste Less Week 2023, members of the SEC went over to interview Year 1 students to find out what they were doing as part of the event. They presented to us a variety of ideas and solutions for zero waste starting with wasting less food at school. One student from Mrs Robine’s class gave us a very interesting explanation: “If we waste food, it will go to landfill sites and give off poisonous gases.”

He is right. All of the trash that cannot decompose by itself goes to landfill, releasing greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and ozone. Most landfill sites are often responsible for the contamination of soil and groundwater, which can cause harm to other organisms in the food chain. Increased usage of chemical fertilisers and untreated wastewater pollutes groundwater and surface water. This leaves us thinking - is it possible to solve food waste and water waste and water contamination?

Starting from food waste, little steps like taking the sensible portion sizes at the canteen and finishing everything or saving leftovers in containers help save the environment. Ways to solve water waste and contamination include simple things like turning off the tap, watering your lawn only when needed, checking for leaks in pipes, and using natural fertilisers and composting.

These are all terrific ideas from such young students; they have a very clear idea of what a One Green Goal is. Do you have one? SEC encourages all of you to think of green goals and apply them to your daily lives, together we can all make a difference, starting all the way from Year 1!

See our collection of One Green Goal videos from our community here: One Green Goal - YouTube

Tackling aiR PolluTion in our Car Parks

Ana Bolakoso, SEC Key Stage 3 Representative

Look up at the sky: what colour is it? Air pollution in Bangkok is getting worse each year. Let’s take action now to tackle this harmful issue.

Idling is the practice of sitting in your car whilst it’s still running. Sadly, this is a major source of toxic PM2.5 pollution, which is very damaging to your health and the environment.

SOME QUICK FACTS…

• One of the main pollutants released during idling is carbon monoxide (CO); a colourless and odourless gas that is very dangerous in high concentrations. CO can cause headaches, dizziness, and nausea, which can be life-threatening.

• Other pollutants that are released during idling include nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can cause respiratory problems, heart disease, and cancer. Additionally, idling contributes to climate change by releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. When AQI is already high, we must all do our part.

• It is also a waste of fuel and money, as idling for just 10 seconds can use more fuel than restarting the engine… eek!

“But it’s soo hot” we hear you say! We get it, sitting in a hot car is also not ideal and can be dangerous too if you overheat.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR PARENTS, HELPERS AND DRIVERS TO STAY COOL WHEN YOU ARRIVE FOR PICK-UP/DROP-OFF ZONE:

• Park at our Sports Complex or Soi 35 then take a slow leisurely walk to school to collect your child: You can even take a rest at the PTG room if you are a parent! If your child has a sports fixture you can stop by and cheer them on.

• Use a sunshade or park in a shaded area: This can help reduce the amount of heat that enters your car.

• Use a fan: If your car has a fan, turn it on to circulate the air inside your car. This can help you feel cooler.

• Dress appropriately: Wear loose, light-coloured clothing to stay cool.

• Keep a water bottle in your car: Staying hydrated can help you feel cooler and more comfortable.

• If you know you will have a little wait, bring an ice pack, cool towelette or spray bottle to cool yourself down.

• Use the air conditioning wisely: If your car has air conditioning, use it sparingly and only when necessary. Set the temperature to a comfortable level and turn it off when you don't need it.

• Plan to park and then run a few errands while you wait for pick-up. 7/11, several coffee shops, salons and a fresh food market are all within 5 minutes walking distance of Patana.

• Your family could also consider using public transport to remove the need to idle altogether. Our school bus service is a great option.

HOW CAN STUDENTS DO THEIR PART?

• Be on time to your agreed pick-up location, try not to dawdle after school or make unnecessary stops on the way out of school.

• Older students can help coordinate ride sharing with friends to school, sporting fixtures and other events to reduce the number of vehicles idling in car parks waiting to collect you.

• Everyone can remind and educate their parents, guardians, and drivers to not idle.

For more information, please see the poster created by Pimnara (Prim) Asawapiwat, 7S, on page 18. Thank you to Tanat (Johnny) Tungsubutra, 12C, for your help.

FUN DAY

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: SATURDAY 11TH MARCH 2023, 10AM - 4PM

FREE ENTRY WITH YOUR PATANA CARD!

RIDES:

Ferris Wheel

Rock Mountain

Slip and Slide – bring your swimmers!

Water Balloons

Kids Boat

Happy Train

Carousel

Euro Bungy

Maze

Surf Skate

Songkran Splash

Dunk Tank

GAMES:

Gun and Ball

Knockdown

Water Duck

Dart Game

Try your hand at the Lucky Dip – there are incredible prizes to be won! Enjoy entertainment all day on the stage under the Big Tent

A big variety of food and drinks for sale. Bring your swimmers for the water activities!

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LIST OF ACTIVITIES AND VENDORS

FFUN UN DDAY AY

FFUN UN DDAY AY

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: SATURDAY 11TH MARCH 2023, 10AM - 4PM

FREE ENTRY WITH YOUR PATANA CARD!

TGM

TOP GOLF

PREMIUM CRAFT PIZZA

LONDONERS FOOD & DRINKS

SOURCED

BABA SHUK

BEL-AIRE

PRAANA

THAMMACHART

STUPID FRIES

RED

SLOANES

SUNRISE TACOS

MARBLED BEEF BUTCHERY

NEVER ENDING SUMMER GELATO

EASY BURGER

RANG MAHAL

MEXICANO

FATBRO

KAMU KAMU

LONNY

COCO MILK TEA

WABISABI BAKEHOUSE

LEMONADE STAND

AMPERSAND GELATO

POPCORN

COTTON CANDY

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR TEA ROOM FOR A CHANCE TO CHILL OUT IN THE AC TEA ROOM VENDORS INCLUDE: KRISPY KREME, PIZZA HUT, TACO BELL, PIERRE HERME PARIS, MUGENDAI AND MAISON DE LA TRUFFE

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LIST OF FOOD VENDORS

NUF YAD

Desert Island Discs

With Daria Kirbai, Foundation Stage Lead Teacher for Communication Language and Literacy

Throughout Terms 2 and 3, we will be revisiting previous contributions to the Desert Island Discs column.

Thiscolumn follows in the style of the famed BBC podcast which features a celebrity every week – here we feature our own Bangkok Patana celebrities! What eight songs, one luxury item and one book would you take with you if you were stuck on a desert island?

Today Foundation Stage Lead Teacher for Communication Language and Literacy, Daria Kirbai, is stuck on a desert island.

MS DARIA , IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU?

Inside Out - Bryan Adams

Deep In The Bottom - Black Coffee

Hasta el Amanecer - Nicky Jam

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! - ABBA

Click to listen to Ms Daria’s playlist

California - U2

Another One Bites the Dust - Queen

Sorry - Madonna

Break the Chain - Fleetwood Mac

PICK ONE LUXURY ITEM YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU. THIS ITEM MUST BE INANIMATE AND OF NO USE IN ESCAPING THE ISLAND OR ALLOWING COMMUNICATION FROM OUTSIDE.

A huge flamingo floatie!

WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU?

Heaven Has No Favourites by Erich Maria Remarque

Catch the real Desert Island Discs on BBC. What are you listening to? Have a list of your own?

Let us know! Contact STML with your favourites.

Check out the newest episode of the Patana POD!

#242: ChaTgPT: a new waY To Learn? or a new waY To CheaT?

ChatGPT is the popular new AI chatbot that can write essays, solve complex problems, do homework, and much more. It has sent many parents and educators into a panic. Some believe students will use this tool to cheat, or worse, that students will never learn to write or think for themselves at all. Some schools have even banned the use of ChatGPT altogether. In this Cyberwise Chat, Dr. Pamela Rutledge, Director of the Media Psychology Research Center, and Diana Graber, founder of Cyberwise and Cyber Civics, and author of “Raising Humans in a Digital World” chat about whether or not this will change education as we know it, most importantly, what parents can do now to prepare their kids for a brave new (online) world. Here is a useful guide on ‘How To Use ChatGPT as a Learning Tool’ with your child(ren).

All of the Cyberwise Chats can be found here

Our next PTG Tech talk on the 18th April 08.00am to 09.30am (save the date) will be all about how artificial intelligence will impact our lives (hint: it already is) and education in particular. Sign up for this event will be posted on school social media accounts closer to the date.

Have a great weekend.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

Tai, a Woven culture

A Talk by Hans Roels and Napajaree Suanduenchai

Tai, a Woven culture is an art book about the Tai culture, the ethnic background of over 80% of the inhabitants of Thailand. What unites all Tai people since the last migration in 1300 is their remarkable and unique weaving culture. At the heart of it is the yellow silk whose thick smooth fiber is processed manually.

The book is based on the unique Tai textile collection of Mrs Napajaree Suanduenchai from Bangkok. For more than 20 years, Mrs Suanduenchai and Mr Roels have travelled in Thailand and in neighbouring countries to look for the people who made these textiles. They photographed and documented the Tai subgroups that still maintained their weaving arts. They also came across ethnic minority groups who are not Tai. As for people living in the mountainous regions between the Tai valleys, some generations existed here long before the Tai migration Also, these people were willing to share their own unique and fascinating cultures - and of course their distinctive textiles. The authors included their weaving arts in the book as well. Detailed photos showing the complexity of the Tai weaving arts alternate with portraits of the people behind the textiles and with landscapes showing their environment. As we know, the Tai weaving arts are dying out because the young generation no longer wants to devote themselves to it. More than 70% of the people in this book no longer weave. With this book (www.taiawovenculture.com), the authors aim to spread the story of the Tai and the ethnic minorities around the world Tai, a Woven culture is a large-sized hardcover art book with 348 pages, printed on 3,000 copies. The book is published in English by River Books, Bangkok and distributed worldwide. In this lecture, the authors will dig deep into approaching the essence of the Tai. They will go into the cultural particularities of this specific region and reflect on the place of the Tai traditions in modern society.

Mr H a ns Ro e l s is a passionate photographer from Brussels, who combines creativity and craftsmanship in his prolific artwork. Always keen on exploring new cultures both in Belgium and in all parts of the world, he has been involved in various cultural and commissioned projects resulting in dazzlingly beautiful and powerful images, exhibitions and books. He is particularly interested in making group photos, in which according to his own words ‘everyone counts and is made visible’ (www.hansroels.com).

Mr s N ap a j a re e Su a nd u e nc ha i (N i m ) is a textile collector from Bangkok. Coming from a family that has been trading in Tai textiles for generations, she followed in her mother’s footsteps and ran Prayer Textile Gallery in Bangkok. She also founded the ‘Tai Textile Collectors Circle’ and is one of the founders of the ‘Thai Textile Society’ in Bangkok.

Khun Pinthip at 02 661 6470-3 ext 203 or e-mail pinthip@thesiamsociety.org

Please book your seat(s) in advance by emailing or phoning your booking to the Society.

The Siam Society is deeply grateful to James H.W. Thompson Foundation for its generous support of the 2022–2023 Lecture Series

Mr Hans Roels and Mrs Napajaree Suanduenchai